and as the pendulum swings

[noctaere]

It was dark. It was cold. It was miserable.

And it was about to get a little stranger.

No one can say for sure when or how it happened. But late in the evening, a loud creaking sound could be heard. The scraping sound of hard metal forcing its way out of its place, as if trying to break free from whatever was keeping it. It was loud, slow, and

Comments

[ voice ]

[smokesinspace]

Aaah someone shut that goddamn *&&#^ #*(&#^&@^ thing off!

[and sneeze. yeah someone's not happy with the loud noise going on.]

Damn piece of oversized metal-I oughtta just nuke it right now.

[and another sneeze.]

[brodexastartes]

You have an exterminatus-class weapon? Here? [ Well, cue an interested 7'2" giant of a man, in armor that makes him look almost like a mechanical being himself, walking over to you Cid.

[smokesinspace]

An extermiwhatsit-........

[....wow. you. are one big fella.]

[brodexastartes]

[ He has that effect on people, yes. ]

You mentioned a nuclear weapon, I assume? That... might well be overkill on something of this nature. An orbital lance-strike, or a well placed krak or melta charge would prove sufficient, most likely. But why destroy it?

[smokesinspace]

Figure of speech. [Barrett was a pretty big guy, but this guy dwarfs even him.]

And what the hell is an orbital lancewhatever or a krak-whatever the hell you just named?

[brodexastartes]

Weapons of the Imperium of man, of which I am a part of... a soldier, as you may have guessed.

My name is Titus. [ He looks down at the smaller man, letting the obvious question be asked simply by implication.]

[smokesinspace]

[it was probably a good thing Cid wasn't the kind of guy who was conscious of his own height or didn't mind being literally looked down by other people.]

Cid Highwind.

[he just stared up at the man before lighting a cig. screw being sick, he needed this.]

So you're some fancy soldier from some high tech world, huh? They all come in the same size as you?

[brodexastartes]

Good to know you, Highwind. [ He doesn't chuckle, or really shift, at being described as a fancy soldier, he just shakes his head. ]

No, the Adeptus Astartes are special. We're genehanced, and augmetically upgraded, and I hail from the Chapter known as the Ultramarines.

[smokesinspace]

Genehanced? [but there was less surprise and confusion and more of some recognition and a slight frown. was it something like the SOLDIERs and the Mako? hm...]

Think I'll stay just the way I am, thanks. So what do you Ultramarines do?

[brodexastartes]

Destroy the enemies of Humanity, wherever they are. To stand as a bulkwark against the darkness of the Galaxy, and the things that come from beyond it.

[smokesinspace]

The Galaxy? You mean other people from space?

[brodexastartes]

Just so. Well... no, not people, not most of the time. Xenos, really. Though there are heretics as well.

[smokesinspace]

[he's just going to think about that. other people living in space...damn.]

Must have your hands full, then.

[brodexastartes]

I do indeed. Though I am strangely idle in this place [ He looks to the strange statue. ]

Until now, anyway.

[smokesinspace]

[looks over at it, tapping his cig as he does.]

Never did like the damn thing. If you ask me, there's more to that thing that most people think.

[brodexastartes]

When the time is right, I shall cast it down, if it proves to be a fane for something foul.